Activa pips Splendor to July best-seller spot

With automatic scooters getting back in vogue, scooter market leader Honda Activa surging ahead of long time market leader Hero Splendor to emerge as the largest selling two-wheeler in the country in July 2014.

Activa registered sales of 191,883 units last month a growth of 64% over the same month last year while sales of Splendor grew by 5.9% at 165,779 units during the month. However, in the first four months of this fiscal, Activa’s sales are at 642,722 units while Splendor is still ahead at 701,750 units.

“This is the third time in 11 months that Activa has outsold Splendor,” said Y S Guleria, vice president sales and marketing, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India.

“This is not a direct competition but it is a fact that in the last 2 years automatic scooters have grown fast. The infrastructure and road network is improving and while women continue to be our primary customers, men are also buying more scooters because of its versatility. The trend is likely to continue. Infact we have a waiting list of around 50,000 units for a brand that is in its 14th year,” Guleria said.

Earlier this fiscal, Honda launched a 125cc version of the Activa that it believes will bring in more customers and given increased capacity at its plants and the festive season round the corner, the Activa may well cut into Splendor’s lead.

Hero MotoCorp, however , said it was not right to compare Activa’s sales only with Splendor without taking its 125cc mobike Super Splendor into account. The company said Splendor brand continues to be in front as a whole.